Osano Saunders - Life after LVAD

This is my cousin. His name is Osano.

 

 

My cousin's journey has not been the easiest, but as C. S. Lewis once said, "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."

 

In 365 days, my cousin's life irrevocably changed.

 

In 2019, Osano's mother was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. Not long thereafter, he lost his father to mental illness.

 

 

In 2020, for many, the pandemic took center stage. For Osano, 2020 meant caring for his mother as her body was ravaged by metastasizing cancer and chemotherapy, all while trying to keep her safe from COVID-19.

 

By August of that year, Osano became an orphan.

 

We hoped that grief was the final burden he would bear for a long time yet. But, in 2021, after making it through the loss of his parents and a worldwide pandemic, Osano was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). This diagnosis was a surprise to the entire family, as to our knowledge, he is the first family member who had ever been diagnosed with CHF.

 

Between October 2021 and May 2022, Osano was in and out of the hospital due to complications associated with CHF. Despite adhering to his medication regimen and strict dietary restrictions, he continued to retain fluid, ballooning up over 100LBs from his "dry weight." He struggled to breathe, had dizziness and fainting spells, and suffered from chest pain. At this point, his heart failure became so severe it was beginning to cause kidney failure,




For a former high school and college athlete, not being able to walk 20 steps before feeling fatigued and exhausted was cause for concern.

After multiple visits to the emergency room resulting from continued fluid build-up, his cardiologist at Hilton Head Hospital recommended that he receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The purpose of the ICD would be to continuously monitor Osano's heart and deliver electric shocks, when needed, to restore a regular heart rhythm.

Simply put, Osano's heart could have stopped at any time, without warning.  To be told at 26 years old that your heart is malfunctioning to the point that it could give out at any moment was overwhelming. 

 

In late March 2022, Osano underwent evaluation at the Heart and Vascular Center at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The news was not what we hoped to hear. Initially, we were told that all metrics of heart function indicated poor prognosis, but they hoped that with adjusting his medication regimen of heart failure and diuretic medications, we could stave off the worst.

 

However, this was not to be. On April 7, 2022, Osano was admitted to MUSC due to Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and Chronic Systolic Heart Failure. It was also at that time that we were informed that he would need a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) as a bridge to heart transplant. Without the LVAD, Osano was given a prognosis of 6 months to live.

 

On April 19, 2022, Osano underwent open-heart surgery for LVAD implantation. He is now the proud owner of a Heartmate 3 LVAD.

 

 

He continues to be hospitalized at MUSC, only recently being discharged from the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) to stepdown. Osano has made INCREDIBLE progress within the last month, but the journey continues.

 

 

Like many of you, I never thought my family or I would have to rely on crowdfunding to assist with needed medical care. We are fortunate to have medical coverage for most of his treatment, but so many other costs have and will continue to add up.

 

We hope to raise funds to help Osano with his medical bills, medication, homecare, extra medical equipment that may not be covered, and transportation and lodging during weekly visits to MUSC (6HR roundtrip) for ongoing care and treatment.

 

We are a small, close-knit family, but we are strong in love and spirit. As we have lifted Osano up and over past obstacles, so we will continue to be his support now. We humbly ask you to help us continue to help him.

 

Here are some ways you can help: